(a) Field of Invention
This invention relates to a method for preventing the secretion of excessive amounts of hydrochloric acid in the stomach of humans suffering from hyperchlorhydria and/or associated conditions. Since the usual peptic ulcer is frequently accompanied by, or the result of, hyperchlorhydria, my method is especially useful in the treatment of peptic ulcers and associated abnormal conditions of the gastrointestinal tract.
(B) Prior Art
The active agent of this invention, 1,3-dioxo-1H-benz-[de]isoquinoline-2(3H)-acetic acid, or a therapeutically acceptable salt thereof, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,821,383, issued June 28, 1974. This active agent, hereinafter sometimes designated as "alrestatin", previously has been reported to be useful in preventing or relieving diabetic complications such as cataracts, neuropathy, nephropathy and retinopathy (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,821,383). I have now found unexpectedly that alrestatin, either in its free acid form or in its therapeutically acceptable salt form, is an inhibitor of gastric acid secretion and ulcer formation.
This finding, coupled with the fact that alrestatin is a relatively safe drug, renders the method of this invention particularly useful and advantageous.